{"id":711215,"date":"2026-05-28T18:15:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/711215\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T18:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:15:32","slug":"colorado-rockies-prospect-sterlin-thompson-reflects-on-his-first-week-in-the-big-leagues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/711215\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Rockies prospect Sterlin Thompson reflects on his first week in the big leagues"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX, Ariz. \u2014 Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP<\/a>) is most famous among Colorado Rockies fans for being drafted with the compensatory draft pick they received from the departure of Trevor Story. Thompson was drafted 31st overall in 2022 and finally made it to the bigs nearly three years later. Thompson was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on May 15, and made his MLB debut later that night against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend in Phoenix, Thompson reflected on his first week in the big leagues.<\/p>\n

It started with a call to his parents after receiving the news from Isotopes manager Pedro Lopez.<\/p>\n

\u201cI called my parents first,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cI called my mom and then she called my dad over, and I told them the news. And she started crying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson got to Coors Field and wasn\u2019t immediately in the starting lineup, which gave him some time to take it all in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just on the bench soaking it in and enjoying the experience,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

But then he was called upon the eighth inning, so he quickly got ready to step up to the plate as a pinch hitter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then I was in the cages and around the eighth inning, they told me I was up in the bottom of the eighth. I was the second one up. So that\u2019s when I started to get my swings in, and then it was kind of quick from when I was told \u2013 it was like five minutes from when I was told to when I was in the box, so I had to get a few swings in. And I was the second one up that inning, and that\u2019s how it was in the first debut.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DENVER,<\/a><\/p>\n

DENVER, COLORADO – MAY 15: Sterlin Thompson #30 of the Colorado Rockies walks up the stairs to the dugout looking to make his Major League debut in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on May 15, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Kyle Cooper\/Colorado Rockies\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Thompson saw one pitch in his debut, grounding out to second and going 0-for-1 on the night.<\/p>\n

But he had one thought going through his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like, \u2018Here we go. This is everything that you\u2019ve worked for and everything that you\u2019ve wanted,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt was kind of everything I pictured \u2013 how the debut would be.\u201d<\/p>\n

And despite the result, Thompson got the chance to take in everything and reflect on the moments that brought him here.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long time coming of just remembering all the years of sacrifice my family put into it \u2013 all the days, the long late nights, early mornings \u2013 that led into that,\u201d he said. \u201cJust all of those emotions all at once. That\u2019s kind of what I was feeling. It\u2019s a great feeling that I got to the Show. There\u2019s only a select few people that made it, so that\u2019s kind of how I was feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took Thompson a few games to get into a groove, but he recorded his first hit in his third game \u2014 and it was a weird one! It was initially scored an error on Texas Rangers\u2019 shortstop Ezequiel Duran, but then was changed to a hit by the official scorer.<\/p>\n

Thompson played in three games before being sent down on Monday, but then he was called right back up on Friday when Mickey Moniak was placed on the injured list<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got optioned on Monday and went to Vegas and played two games,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd on Friday I woke up with like 30 missed calls at 10:30. I had a flight at 1:00, and then got to Arizona around 4:00 pm and DH\u2019d on that Friday night. So that\u2019s been the whole process. It\u2019s been a crazy week so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it was nothing compared to Tanner Gordon\u2019s epic journey the previous week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a nice straight flight \u2013 non-stop \u2013 but I heard about TG\u2019s flight experience,\u201d he said. \u201cBut [mine] was quick because when I woke up, they said I was going up, and then I didn\u2019t see anything with the flight right away, and then it came and it was at 1:30. And it was like 11:30 at the time, so I hauled to the airport real quick and then got here [to Arizona] and did my little routine. It was crazy. And P-Lo wasn\u2019t there \u2013 he was coaching third base \u2013 so Louie Lopez, who was the manager in Triple-A, called me. It was just cool to go and experience that and have \u2018P-Lo\u2019 at third base, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pedro Lopez coached third base<\/a> for Warren Schaeffer on Thursday and Friday while everyday third base coach Andy Gonz\u00e1lez was at his daughter\u2019s graduation. And the moment was not lost on either of them, as Lopez was the one who got to break the news to Thompson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we told Sterlin that he was coming up, it was pretty cool,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cHe actually made a baserunning mistake the day he got the call, so I brought him and we were talking about the baserunning, and I said \u2018You can\u2019t do that\u2026 if you do that and their manager wants to retaliate, you can get hit and you can get hurt.\u2019 And then I told him, \u2018And if you pull that tomorrow in the big leagues, I\u2019m telling you right now you\u2019re going to find yourself back in Albuquerque again.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he kind of looked at me,\u201d he continued. \u201cBut Sterlin and I go way back \u2013 I saw this kid from how he started playing last year in the first month and how much progress he\u2019s made. I keep saying it to this day, I thought last year he was the most improved player out of all in Albuquerque. So just to see where he is now is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Thompson had high praise for his managers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was great, with all the work we put in at Triple-A, to experience that firsthand at the big-league level together,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cAnd the time he was here, and had that moment in the top of the ninth, it was pretty cool. I think all the guys \u2013 the coaches and Schaeff \u2013 have all been welcoming since I\u2019ve been here and have helped me settle in all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the biggest piece of advice he\u2019s gotten so far?<\/p>\n

\u201cJust go and play the game like you know how,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the same game, so really just control what you need to control and the process of it, and go on doing the little things every day and be consistent at that. That\u2019s something I\u2019ve learned and just building each day at a time. [I\u2019m] trying to get 1% better each day.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so far, Thompson has had some excellent moments. On Friday, he recorded his first extra-base hit \u2014 a double \u2014 and was driven in by Chad Stevens and waved home by Lopez.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere come the Isotopes!\u201d indeed.<\/p>\n

He also recorded his first career RBI the next night, driving in Troy Johnston on a 3-1 groundout.<\/p>\n

Thompson hasn\u2019t set the world on fire yet \u2014 going 4-for-24 with a double, two RBI, two walks and four strikeouts in nine games. However, he is showing what he can do and is working to get 1% better everyday like he set out to do.<\/p>\n

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